Emily Eavis and Chris Martin travelled to the country in 2002 for charity

Coldplay‘s Chris Martin and Glastonbury festival organiser Emily Eavis have urged people to donate to Oxfam‘s appeal for eathquake victims in Haiti, which was launched in reaction to the deadly quake that struck the country yesterday (January 12).

Both Martin and Eavis visited the island with Oxfam in 2002, and each said they expected the country to need all the help it can get following the 7.0-magnitude quake.

Martin said: “I visited Haiti with Oxfam a few years ago. It’s a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions. Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks. The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city into an unimaginable hell. The people of Haiti will be desperate for help and assistance.”

Eavis also urged people to donate to the appeal, and said that she thinks the country will struggle to cope with the aftermath of the quake.

“I visited Haiti with Oxfam in 2002 and it’s the poorest place I’ve ever been by a long way,” she explained. “It seems doubly unfair that it should be hit by such a devastating earthquake, especially after the hurricanes of the last two years. They do not have the resources needed to cope with a disaster of this scale, that is what makes this so much worse.”

Head to Oxfam.org.uk to leave a donation. Alternatively, call 0300 200 1999, or visit an Oxfam shop.